Heaven in a Bar
by jenlynn24
Summary: What if Eddie's third person wasn't Ruby? What if it was his father? Just a fluffy one-shot I thought of after reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven for school. Enjoy and please review! :)


Eddie blinked and adjusted his eyes to the lighting. He was now in a dark, narrow room surrounded by men talking and drinking beer. The room had dark wood floors, deep red walls, and looked as if it had no end. It was clearly a party, with an infinite number of people there. After being with The Captain, and thinking about war, this seemed like a pleasant scene to Eddie. He walked a little further into the room, when he spotted couples dancing. Eddie immediately thought of Marguerite, and longed for her to be with him. He quickly pushed the thought aside, and continued walking. Eventually a bar emerged, appearing endless in length. At the sight, Eddie suddenly felt thirsty, and wanted to go over to the bar and have a drink. He began to walk over to the bar, when suddenly he froze dead in his tracks. Eddie clenched his fists, and his entire body tensed up. He blinked back tears and feelings of hatred. "No.. no.. no… NO!" Eddie muttered to himself. This could not be happening. There, standing right before him was the man who Eddie hated more than any other person in the world. Eddie glared at him coldly. The man suddenly looked up, and made eye contact with Eddie. Then, the man spoke. "Why, hello Eddie," Eddie's father said from in front of him, slyly taking a long sip of his beer. "I've been waiting for you." He winked.

The word "dad" typically elicits a loving, warm image from a child. This was far from true in Eddie's life. Seeing his father brought back all of Eddie's harsh, childhood memories. Eddie wanted to scream. He took another look at his father, who seemed amused by his reaction. Eddie began to run. He ran past an infinite amount of people. He didn't think. He just ran. Running, running, running. Eddie had no idea where he was running; he just wanted to be as far from his father as possible. What he didn't realize was that he was in his father's heaven, and therefore his father would easily catch up to him. When Eddie finally slowed down to catch his breath, his father materialized next to him. "There is no use running." Eddie's father said. "There is no escaping what is about to happen." And for the second time, he winked.

Eddie was terrified. He was flooded with scenes of his father screaming, slapping Eddie, and slamming things down. He did not know what lay ahead of him, but he knew that he was not going to stand for his father abusing him. Eddie was damaged enough by his father on Earth. There was no way that he would let this happen to him in heaven. Suddenly all of the feelings of hatred rushed into him. Eddie lunged at his father, and tackled him to the floor, knocking the beer out of his father's hand. Eddie began to punch his father. He gave his father's nose strong blows with his left hand. "I know you're mad…" Eddie's father gasped between blows to his face. "And you have a right to be…" Eddie stopped punching. "All I need is five minutes… to explain everything." And with that, Eddie got up and looked at his father closely. He saw a truly sincere look in his dad's eyes. "Ok, D-d-d-a-d." he stuttered.

It had been over thirty-five years since Eddie had said that word- dad. It sounded strange coming from his throat. Eddie's father got up of the ground, and led Eddie over to the bar. He sat down at one of the bar stools. "Please sit," he motioned Eddie to a stool to his left. Eddie sat down, and closely looked at his father. Something was very different. His father looked peaceful and calm. The stern, rock-hard look was gone from his father's face. "We have much to discuss." Eddie's father began. "The first thing that I want to do is apologize to you," he said. Eddie looked up, stunned. He was unable to speak. _Was this really his father? _Eddie thought to himself.

"I was an awful dad," Eddie's father shook his head. "I was self centered. I was cruel to you and your brother for no reason." He began to sob.

"Then when I died, I came here to heaven, and I was transformed. My first three people punished me and tortured me. Then, my last two people helped me to change."

"Change," he repeated again. "Change is a transformation. Change helps people to grow. To move on from the past. To enter a new era. I changed myself. But that is not good enough. We must change together." Eddie was in a daze. _Was his father serious about this?_

"H-h-o-o-w?" he managed to speak out.

"First, I ask you for forgiveness. For all of the torture you endured, I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," Eddie replied.

Suddenly the entire scenery changed. Eddie found himself at the home he lived in all the years if his life.

"That other place represented old ways," Eddie's father said. He led Eddie into his old bedroom. "Here, we can begin a new age in our lives, one where we can be more than just father-son, but instead true friends."

And with that the two men smiled, and wrapped their arms around each other into a warm loving hug.


End file.
